I Taught Iamsu! About The Dangers Of Marijuana And He Taught Me About The Foods He Doesn't Eat

It's time to establish one false categorization and refute another. One, Iamsu! has the potential to be the greatest musician with an exclamation mark in his name of all time. Better than Wham! Better than Holy Ghost! Better than Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Better than Bomb The Music Industry! Better than Fall Out Boy when they were Fall Out Boy! Okay, not better than Neu! But seriously. Iamsu! could be the second-greatest musician with an exclamation mark in his name.

Now, time for that refutation. Iamsu! does not make Ratchet music. Some of the Bay Area rapper/producer's tracks share qualities with music you might call "Ratchet," but any time you categorize something you put it in a box, and Iamsu! is way bigger than boxes. $uzy $ix $peed, his newest mixtape, is a vertible showroom of talent, stuffed to the brim with sonic texture and personality. He even got Juvenile to show up on a track, which doesn't make sense until suddenly it does and you've listened to "100 Grand" fifty times in a row. Iamsu! stopped by the Noisey office right before Thanksgiving to fuck around, joke about weed, and tell me about all the foods he hates. $uzy $ix $peed is below; you should stream it while you read this interview.

NOISEY: Your scarf has a weed pattern on it. Are you aware that marijuana is illegal?IAMSU!: Yeah. It's kinda tolerated in California, I guess.

Lots of people have overdosed on weed.
Oh my god. What? Impossible. Overdosed and died?

Overdosed and died.
Was it from eating an edible, or what?

What's the most dangerous thing about smoking weed?
I think it's if you smoke Swishers and don't drink enough water and don't brush your teeth you'll have really bad breath afterwards.

Swishers especially?
Swishers. I don't really like ever…

What do you fuck with in the blunt department?
I don't wanna sound cliché but I smoke papers, I smoke out of bongs, pipes. I don't really like Swishers because they burn the back of my throat and make me start sweating and shit.

Do you ever worry that you're gonna overdose?
No. When people put some other stuff in your weed that's when you gotta get nervous.

In your mind, what is the ideal context in which someone is listening to your music?
Some of my music I feel like is really good for the car because it just makes you want to speed. It's especially for girls getting dressed. It fits the vibe; a girl getting ready to go out to the club with her partners, I think my music suits that.

Has a stranger ever told you they've had sex to your music?
Yeah. Not like personally but on Twitter. It was kind of awkward.

Have you ever had sex to your own music?
No.

What music do you have sex to?
I don't really like having sex to music. One time someone asked Lil Wayne if he had sex and he just went, "I don't have time for that. I'm recording. I just record, record, record." But yeah, I don't have sex to music.

What's the dumbest thing you've ever said to pick up a girl?
I'm pretty straightforward. I don't really say out-of-pocket shit; it usually just happens off my strength. Off merit.

If you could be any animal what type of animal would you be and why?
A wolf. They're hardcore.

What do you listen to on a daily basis?
I listen to a lot of old-school music, but I've been listening to a lot of trap shit lately. Hella Future, hella Chief Keef. I heard Trinidad James's mixtape and I thought it was hot. He's got an interesting style; he'll rap for a second and then he'll just start talking. It's like Trick Daddy a little bit.

You're from The Bay, which is where Thizz Music started. How do you feel about artists like Future taking taking up the mantle of the thizz?
I think it's just a growing trend overall. He always talks about poppin' Mollies like Mac Dre used to talk about popping ecstasy pills.

Have you done it?
I did it in Vegas. Have you ever played Mario Kart before? You know the question box when you get the star? It's like that. The music literally came on and I felt advanced. I walked hella far, all the way down to a Hooters. Shit was crazy.

What do you mean?
My mom would always give me a pizza on Thanksgiving or some rice or something. I've never had turkey or stuffing or anything like that. I've never had a sandwich. Or a hamburger. The list is so long you damn near wouldn't fuck with me after I told you. Ask me a regular food question and see if I've had it.

M&M's.
Yeah.

Peanut Butter & Jelly.
Well, I haven't had a sandwich with meat.

Broccoli.
No.

Bananas.
No.

Roast beef.
No.

Meat Loaf.
No.

Steak.
No.

Pork Chops.
Definitely not.

Iamsu's Manager: He had his first burrito the other day.

How was that?
I was overwhelmed. I think I've got a serious fear of food. I couldn't take it; it's too much man. You know how it is. Everybody's got their little tics.

After the interview, Iamsu! made me take the following picture with him. He calls it the "Air Chair," and when you do it you're not allowed to look at the camera. "It's disrespectful," he explained to me as he squatted and made prayer hands.